SMS BASIC Scores

As of December 4, 2015, pursuant to the FAST Act of 2015 being signed into law, the FMCSA removed BASIC scores from public view on its website. The CSA program is not going away, but BASIC scores will remain unavailable to the public until the FMCSA can implement a corrective action plan.

The majority of CSA information related to property carrier compliance and safety performance will no longer be displayed publicly on the FMCSA SMS Website.

SMS Safety Information

Carrier411 was the first carrier monitoring service to incorporate SMS BASIC scores as soon as data was released on December 12, 2010. SMS BASIC scores are released at the beginning of each month and do not change until they are released the following month.

Current and Historical Safety Measurement Information

We provide the most recent SMS BASIC Statistics and related information for all carriers in these categories:

• Unsafe Driving

• Hours of Service (HOS) Compliance

• Driver Fitness

• Controlled Substances and Alcohol

• Vehicle Maintenance

In addition to current BASIC scores, you can also see the complete BASIC scores history for any trucking company, as well as current and historical roadside inspection information.

Safety Measurement System (SMS)

Within the CSA 2010 Operational Model, the Safety Measurement System (SMS) quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates for interventions, to determine the specific safety problems exhibited by a carrier or driver, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening. Now that CSA 2010 is implemented, SMS replaces the SafeStat system for rating carriers.

Weighted Point System for Rating Carriers

CSA 2010 uses a weighted point system for different violations as a part of its methodology to improve the way carriers are measured and rated. These weighted values are time weighted, divided by relevant inspections, and separated into peer groups. It will be the percentile ranking number that the FMCSA watches (not the individual weighted point totals) to determine if intervention is required.

The violation severity weights are assigned on a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 represents the lowest crash risk and 10 represents the highest crash risk relative to the other violations in the BASIC.

1.

Unnecessary delay in HM transportation to destination

1

2.

Operating a CMV while texting

10

3.

Failing to properly secure parked vehicle

1

4.

Failure to obey traffic control device

5

5.

Headlamps - Failing to dim when required

3

6.

Following too close

5

7.

Improper lane change

5

8.

Lane Restriction violation

3

9.

Improper passing

5

10.

Unlawfully parking and/or leaving vehicle in the roadway

1

11.

Reckless driving

10

12.

Railroad Grade Crossing violation

5

13.

Speeding

5

14.

State/Local Laws - Speeding 1-5 miles per hour over the speed limit

1

15.

State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit

4

16.

State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit

7

17.

State/Local Laws - Speeding 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit

10

18.

State/Local Laws - Speeding work/construction zone

10

19.

State/Local Laws - Operating a CMV while texting

10

20.

Improper turns

5

21.

Failure to yield right of way

5

22.

Scheduling run to necessitate speeding

5

23.

Failing to stop at railroad crossing—bus

5

24.

Failing to stop at railroad crossing—chlorine

5

25.

Failing to stop at railroad crossing—placard

5

26.

Failing to stop at railroad crossing—HM cargo

5

27.

Failed to use caution for hazardous condition

5

28.

Failing to use seat belt while operating CMV

7

28.

Failing to use hazard warning flashers

1

30.

Unauthorized passenger on board CMV

1

31.

Unsafe bus operations

1

32.

Bus—Standees forward of the standee line

1

33.

Using or equipping a CMV with radar detector

5

34.

State/local laws ordinances regulations

1

35.

Smoking within 25 feet of HM vehicle

1

36.

Driving of vehicle—migrant workers

1

2. Hours of Service (HOS) Compliance

Operation of CMVs by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations. This BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to logbooks as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue.

Score ranges from 0-100 or Insufficient Data

Deficient Score Threshold

Passenger

HazMat

Other

50

60

65

Carriers you use will likely be classified as Other

Example Violations: HOS, logbook, and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued.

Controlled Substances Violations and Severity WeightsThe violation severity weights are assigned on a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 represents the lowest crash risk and 10 represents the highest crash risk relative to the other violations in the BASIC.

Cargo-Related data will not be displayed in Carrier411, although it is part of CSA 2010. Failure to properly prevent shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, overloading, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials on a CMV.

FMCSA will show Cargo-Related BASIC violations only. Cargo-Related BASIC score and intervention status will not be on public display.

7. Crash Indicator (Data Not Publicly Available)Crash Indicator data will not be displayed in Carrier411, although it is part of CSA 2010. Histories or patterns of high crash involvement, including frequency and severity. It is based on information from state-reported crashes.

After measurement is determined, the carrier is placed in a peer group (along with other carriers with similar numbers of inspections). Percentile scores from 0 to 100 are determined for each category by comparing the BASIC measurements of the carrier to measurements of other carriers in the peer group. 100 indicates the worst performance.

Unlike the SafeStat system, where scores of 75 or above were considered deficient by FMCSA standards, deficiency thresholds have changed with CSA 2010. Different threshold values will be based on the carrier's classification (passenger, hazardous materials, other).

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